JACKSONVILLE – Let's get to it …
Robert from Elkton
Zone, I have been a diehard NFL fan for a very long time. From Head Coach Don Shula, running back Larry Csonka and quarterback Bob Griese of the 1970s Miami Dolphins through Head Coach Liam Coen, quarterback Trevor Lawrence and the current Jaguars gang. I used to go to the local library just so I could read the Miami Herald and other papers' sports sections (just the football coverage, mind you). Today, I read everything I can on the Jags online and listen to talk radio for Jags coverage. I know the NFL just might be the greatest marketing machine in the history of our country, and it rules coverage all year long. But for the life of me, I just cannot get into nor understand the schedule release mania. I know I can simply ignore it, but it is everywhere and has seemed to dominate coverage for two weeks. The schedule release to me is even less important than live draft grades - and that is saying something. We have known who we will play for months. The obsession with schedule release is boarding on cult status. It is the first time in my life I think the NFL and media has pushed me away by screaming "LOOK AT ME!" I doubt it will happen, but I really wish the crazy amount of coverage would go away and we could read more articles about … well, anything else involving the Jags.
The NFL's annual schedule release continues to be a growing phenomenon, as evidenced again when the league's schedule "dropped" this past Thursday night. And it's true that teams tend to go "over the top" with the release and accompanying video, with seemingly no limit to how far over that aforementioned "top" teams will go. I suppose the primary reason for this trend is the schedule release is a very easy – and fun – way for NFL teams' social media and production teams to pour a lot of creativity into high-profile pieces of content. These uber-creative and enthusiastic people have several months to prepare for "release date" during a time in which there are no games being played, so it's understandable they put what might fairly be called "disproportional energy" into the schedule release video. I did not grow up in the schedule release or digital era, so I probably lean toward your view of this. But while "schedule release mania" is not really my thing, I also realize it is not really for me. A lot of fans, especially those who frequent social media, seem to enjoy it – and there is no harm in that enjoyment. As far as being able to read more articles about the Jaguars, the schedule release video doesn't really affect articles written or shows. They're separate entities, so maybe just don't watch the schedule release video. The mania will subside soon enough and we will be back to football. In the meantime, text me if you see those kids on the lawn again. I will drive over and we can yell from the porch together.
Greg from the mean fields of EHS
Yo, O! This mystery regarding the new Trevor "do" seems to have a tell on NOT cutting the locks. The man is way too stylish to finish with that monstrous look post-snipping. I remain seriously skeptical. I would wager a wig being involved, though we will know soon enough. Any opinion from the king of all funk?
Ah, the interweb debate over Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence's "haircut" continues. At least for a moment or two more. The cut was part of the Jaguars' 2026 schedule release video and the question of whether Lawrence indeed cut the locks – and whether there was a wig involved, or AI – remains something of a mystery, at least to some O-Zone readers Mine is not to ruin a good mystery.
Thomas from Charlottesville, VA
At least it was not a female barber named Delilah! If he has an off year, will he grow his hair back?
Stay tuned.
Kevin from St Johns
I am not a churchgoing guy, but I do remember what happened to Samson when he trimmed his locks...
Lawrence had the best season of his career last season – a season built on experience, work, desire, talent and a lot of factors coming together to allow him to begin reaching his potential. Was one of those factors his hair? We may never know.
JK from NY & Fernandina Beach, FL
Hey, now, John. As the Grateful Dead put it so well, "If you cut off my hair, shave my head as clean as my hand, my strength will come as natural as any other man." Samson lives! Go Jags!
Go Jags.
Johnny Optimism from Jacksonville
Just a reminder that strength of schedule is irrelevant when you are certain the Jags are going 17-0. Duuuuvaaaaaaal.
Go Jags.
John from Jacksonville
Didn't Jaguars President Mark Lamping mention that the Jaguars requested two home games in London with the bye week afterwards? I remember something about overseas games rotation and it was the Jaguars' turn in 2028. So the NFL actually let the Jaguars satisfy that commitment this year instead of in 2028. One for Lamping and one for the NFL for being so flexible.
This indeed was the case, with the Jaguars wanting at least a three-week stretch away from EverBank Field to execute extended and necessary work on the ongoing stadium renovation. This was reflected in the Jaguars playing back-to-back London home games – against the Philadelphia Eagles at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium October 11 and against the Houston Texans at Wembley Stadium October 18 with a road game against the Cincinnati Bengals October 4 and a bye October 25. That's essentially six weeks between games in Jacksonville. This was necessary to maintain the construction progress for the Stadium of the Future to be ready for the start of the 2028 regular season. One fer Lamping here? Absolutely. One for the league. Sure, why not?
Jadon from Raleigh, NC
Best player to wear No. 19 for the Jags all time?
Like a lot of players in the teens, the candidates for best player ever to wear No. 19 for the Jaguars are relatively low-profile. Possibilities include punter Bryan Anger (2012-2015), wide receiver Ernest Wilford (2004-2007) and wide receiver Tiquan Underwood (2009-2010). Toss in quarterback Matt Barkley (2023) and C.J. Beathard (2024) on short stints. It's close between Wilford and Anger – a.k.a, "Legatron." I could lean either way. Wilford, maybe?
Brad from The Avenues
John, for me at least, the most memorable Jaguar to wear No. 18 would be wide receiver Chris Conley. It was that 80-yard catch and run, quarterback Gardner Minshew to Conley, against the New York Jets. As Conley crossed the goal line, I leapt up from my recliner, throwing my arms into the air ... sticking my right hand in the ceiling fan and breaking my thumb. I finished the game with my hand in a bowl of ice before going to the emergency room.
Ouch.
Al from Fruit Cove
Zone, about the name "Stadium of the Future" … is it called that because we won't be using it until two years in the future? Or should we really expect something futuristic that outshines what already exists in the present in Dallas, Los Angeles and Las Vegas?
The "Stadium of the Future" is called the Stadium of the Future because it's not yet named and we don't yet know what it will be named. Future. And yes … because it won't be used until the "future." To what extent will it look "futuristic" … I suppose we will learn that sometime in the (relatively foreseeable) "future."
EJ from Jacksonville
Mr. O, I do not care who wore what number, but I am curious as to how jersey numbers are assigned. Are the players told what is available and allowed to pick? Is it seniority for changing numbers?
The NFL mandates that players wear certain numbers based on positions – i.e., quarterbacks between zero and 19, wide receivers between zero and 49/80 and 89, offensive linemen between 50 and 79, etc. Players upon joining a team may generally select a number within their allotted range based on availability. If an arriving player covets a number worn by an established active player, the arriving player often can negotiate a fee with the established player for the number. If a number comes available because of a departure, current players can request that number – with numbers often awarded based on time and status within the organization.
Daniel from St J
I was in disbelief watching the haircut and kept expecting some sort of ending showing it was an AI hoax. Now I get the feeling you know or suspect something? What's the next Trevor event on your schedule?
I am the king of all funk. I am not, as it turns out, the king of all funky haircuts.
